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Steyning Downland Scheme

Nature and Conservation

SDS Event September 14th 2008

You can’t please everyone!
When the Wiston Estate decided to set up the Steyning Downland Scheme on a somewhat neglected portion of their land near Steyning, they knew the task of managing an area so close to Steyning was going to be not only complex but difficult. Now, nearly two years later, all of us involved in trying to help the project along,both volunteers and Wiston Estate representatives, have seen the realities of how hard it is to please all the parties involved. This article attempts to explain some of the conflicting issues.

Wildlife and People
There is one certain fact that few people would dispute, and that is that the activities of human beings have a profound effect on the survival of plants and animals. Everything we do, at home and when we are out and about, impacts in some way on our environment. Becoming aware of this is the first step in creating a better landscape in which flora and fauna can thrive.
The area of land covered by the SDS has largely been neglected for many years mainly due to the economics of modern agriculture and subsequent changes in farming practice. The main result of this has been the unofficial ‘adoption’ of the area by the local community for leisure purposes; dog walking, jogging, mountain biking etc. have become popular pursuits with associated impacts on wildlife.

SDS Event September 14th 2008 One of the main issues the SDS has to deal with is how to perform good conservation practice without excluding and thus alienating the local community. A good example of this is the improvement of chalk grassland areas. Without intervention, this rare habitat becomes quickly choked with scrub and coarse grasses and the diverse wildlife-rich habitat disappears. The only way of preventing this is by regular cutting back of encroaching scrub and the implementation of a managed grazing regime using cattle and sheep. Livestock and dogs do not mix well, hence, at certain times of year dogs will have to be kept on leads and not allowed to roam freely as happens at the moment. Also, in the spring and early summer, ground-nesting birds will just not make use of the area if there is disturbance by many walkers and dogs. Some people may find it hard to understand the necessity for this restriction, but in fact it is a law under the Wildlife and Countryside Act to keep dogs on leads from March to July on open access areas.

This is just one example of the sort of dilemma’s we have to deal with. There may be times in the future when other management practices are implemented that will restrict leisure activities in some way. We don’t want to stop anyone from using the area, but an increase in awareness of how public access impacts on the site has to be the first step to helping people understand that these actions are necessary and only done to create an even better environment for everyone to enjoy.
Management matters!


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